Redemption
by Little Dragon-kun
Summary: Faye is dead, and Reach has been destroyed. Syaoron, Tyler, and Lilly escape the planet via the Gale Flower, where Syaoron meets a man who is also being hunted down by Faye's killer: Reginald. With the help of the renowned bounty hunter, Syaoron sets out after the assassin in an attempt to get revenge for his lover…Sequel to Ruin, so I suggest reading that first to understand story
1. Are We The Last Living Souls?

_**A/N: Hey guys, welcome to the sequel to Ruin, labeled as Redemption. This is the second part of a three part trilogy, and I do have some good plans indeed for this one (which sounds like something I say way too fucking much…). But, without further ado, and I hate saying ado, let's start this baby up.**_

**Redemption**

_Summary: Faye is dead, and Reach has been destroyed. Syaoron, Tyler, and Lilly escape the planet via the _Gale Flower_, where Syaoron meets a man who is also being hunted down by Faye's killer: Reginald. With the help of the renowned bounty hunter, Syaoron sets out after the assassin in an attempt to get revenge for his lover…_

***Are We the Last Living Souls?***

_UNSC Gale Flower_

_Date Unknown_

Syaoron fiddled with the mechanics making up his left arm, trying to take his mind off the fact that not only was his home, Reach, gone, but also his love. _'Faye, I could have done something back then. I'm sorry. It's my fault that you're dead.'_

He sighed and stopped messing about with the metallic arm, still trying to get used to the fact that he lost a limb due to his own carelessness, and partly from a few Beam Rifle shots. _'I couldn't even give her a proper fucking burial. Unbelievable. Not only do I let Shao'Lin get away, but Faye also got murdered in front of me. What use am I if I can't even protect the ones I love most?'_

Reginald looked over at the Spartan, stroking his enormous mustache. "Dear me, old mate, are you still blaming yourself for what happened?" Syaoron let out a small sigh of defeat, looking at his old friend. "You have no idea Reg. There must have been a way to get her out. I could have done _something_ back then, and I didn't. It's so frustrating, feeling that I am responsible in part for all of this."

The British bounty hunter shook his head. "Chap, you are still as stubborn as always, you know that? Always blaming yourself; give it a rest mate. There was no way in hell that Shao'Lin wasn't going to get her sooner or later."

Syaoron narrowed his amber eyes into slits, clenching his metal hand into a fist. "What are you trying to say?" Reginald put his arms up. "Easy chap. What I meant was this: Shao'Lin always gets his targets. When he says he's gonna kill someone, he does. Look at what happened to Andrew and Casey. They thought he would never find them, and he did, making sure to torture them to an inch of their bloody lives before killing them. Do you get what I'm trying to point out?"

Syaoron slumped, pushing a loose strand of brown hair from his face. "So, basically, what you are saying is that Faye's death was going to happen, no matter what I did?" Reginald nodded. "Yes. So, stop blaming yourself for an event that was fate and wasn't going to change, alright? Instead of blaming yourself, how about we actually go after the bloody bastard like you said not too long ago?"

Syaoron sighed, standing up and heading for the door to the armory. "Yeah. I'm going down to see what Tyler and Lilly managed to do. Hopefully it's something useful and does not involve sex of any kind." He left, and as the door hissed behind him he cast one last look at the debris strewn space that was Reach a few minutes ago. _'Are we the last living souls who stand a chance at bringing Shao'Lin down? Or is there someone else amongst the stars who can help us?'_

-0-

Tyler brought a weapon up to bear as he heard the door hiss open, only to relax when he saw it was Syaoron, the Spartan looking weary. "Oh, it's you." The amber eyed Spartan grunted. "Who did you think I was? An Elite stripper in a cake or something? Shit man, if you wanted to use me as target practice, let me paint a bullseye on my chest for you."

Tyler's lip twitched slightly at the comment. "No harm in being careful. So, what's up then? Do we have a lead?" _'I won't be too surprised if he says no. From what Lilly and I have pieced together, that assassin is one slippery bastard.'_

Syaoron gave him a look of slight exasperation. "We are still in the Reach system, and you think we already have a trail? Shit, we're still looking to see if anyone else is out there, as unlikely as it is. But, we're leaving the system when the Slipspace drives are warmed up. The damn things need to be broken in easy."

Tyler put a Shotgun on the rack of weapons, an armory's worth inside just one small portion of the ship. From what Syaoron told him, there were even more weapons still being tested inside, along with new gear. _'This puts us at a disadvantage. Shao'Lin could be anywhere in the galaxy by now, and we have no fucking clue as to where to start looking.'_

"Do you have any clues as where to start?" Tyler tried, hoping he didn't get yelled at for asking a stupid question. Syaoron might be able to put up with them, but ever since Faye died only a few hours ago he was rather cold and blunt. _'Please don't scream at me when Lilly is trying to sleep. Otherwise, we'll both get our asses kicked.'_

He closed his eyes when Syaoron didn't answer, waiting to get either screamed at or slapped. But, it didn't happen, and Tyler opened his eyes to see Syaoron with a slightly interested look. "I think I know a good place to start. But, I would recommend waking Lilly up, only so that she can hear what I say before I get my ass handed to me again. And don't act like I'm going to hurt you for asking questions. It's only natural."

Tyler chuckled as he looked down at the sleeping Spartan, her hair scattered over her face. He shook her shoulder, attempting to wake her up. "Hey Lils, wake up." The Spartan rolled over and mumbled, "Five more minutes."

Syaoron rolled his eyes and brought something out of his pocket. "Oh, for fuck's sake…" It was an air horn. Tyler's eyes widened and he tried to stop him. "Wait, don't!"

The amber eyed Spartan blew the horn, and Lilly jumped up, not amused in the slightest. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Syaoron ignored her outburst, ducking as she swung a metal object at him. "Now, as I was saying, I do know of a good place to start. It's a place that Reginald, Austin, and I are very familiar with. There's a colony on the farthest rim of the Outer Colonies known as Venezia. Have either of you heard of it?"

Lilly shook her head while Tyler nodded. "Yeah, I have. What the hell were three of ONI's best doing on that hellhole of a planet?" Lilly looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tyler looked at Syaoron, who gave a small nod that said, 'Might as well tell her.' Tyler took a deep breath. "Venezia is a colony notorious for housing some of the worst terrorists in the galaxy. Anyone who's against Earth or the UNSC turns up there sooner or later. Think of it as a haven for anyone willing to nuke Sydney or any other major city."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at Syaoron. "And what the fuck were you doing on a planet that is home to those who want to bomb our cities?" Tyler sighed and looked up at the ceiling. _'I hope she doesn't kill him for this.'_

Syaoron scoffed. "As if I would support those bastards. We were there to go undercover and take out an Insurrectionist general by the name of Chester Whitefield. ONI was tired of him taking out military outposts, but when the Covenant War started we had no other choice but to pull out and leave them alone. For awhile, Venezia left Earth alone too." He paused. "Well, until a few weeks ago, according to Reginald."

Lilly looked at Syaoron in a strange way. "Just who is he? Reginald, I mean. I've never heard of ONI using bounty hunters before."

"Reginald, known as Wyoming, is perhaps the best bounty hunter the UNSC has ever employed, and he's used exclusively by ONI. Whoever they want dead, he does the job for them," Syaoron answered. Tyler let out another sigh. _'She's not gonna like this either.'_

Lilly sucked her teeth. "So, he's a mercenary who's sworn allegiance to the UNSC, then. How good of a tracker is he?"

Syaoron's lip twitched. "Very. The fact that he's managed to follow Shao'Lin this far while being hunted by him is proof of his ability. We'll need those skills if we're to find that slippery fuck."

Tyler noticed how dull Syaoron's eyes were, with dark rings around them and bloodshot. _'How the hell is he still able to stand without falling over, let alone react quick enough to avoid a hit from Lilly?' _"Then let's head to Venezia. But first, I think someone needs a little rest."

Syaoron caught on and he shook his head. "Don't. I'm still able to deal with a few annoying rebels if they come my way." Tyler rolled his eyes as the amber eyed Spartan keyed the COM. _"Wyoming, are we ready to go to Slipspace?"_

"_Yeah. The engines are finally warmed up. Do we have a heading or are we doing standard UNSC Protocol by jumping randomly?"_

"_No. Set a course for Venezia. We might need to visit a few old friends for some information, if you catch my drift," _Syaoron returned. The bounty hunter engaged the Slipspace drives and they went into Slipspace. _"We should be there in about maybe 20 hours. And do me a bloody favor and get some rest, will you? I don't want to have to drag your heavy ass all over the place again."_

"_What, you mean like when we were stuck on New Bodhum that one week?" _Syaoron asked, making Lilly and Tyler exchange a glance, with Tyler not too sure if he wanted to know. _'I'm not exactly sure if I want to know, but judging from the unamused look that Syao has it must be funny.'_

"_Exactly. Even Faye and Austin were surprised that you can drink that much," _the bounty hunter returned. Tyler gave Syaoron a slightly amused look. "Care to share the details?" The amber eyed Spartan shook his head. "Not really. What happened afterwards was very embarrassing though."

Tyler raised an eyebrow, really curious. "All that does is make me even more curious to know. Did you end up in bed with anyone?" Syaoron didn't bat an eyelid. "I am not answering that question. Now, on to more important matters, let's make sure that Venezia doesn't find out we're ONI, okay?"

"Yeah, I don't want to end up dead from a fucking Innie either," Lilly muttered, earning a snicker from Tyler. Syaoron rolled his eyes as he inspected a Battle Rifle. "I doubt they would even get to raise a finger before Wyoming or I shot them. The two of us will be heading undercover as we know the planet best, while you two make sure that the ship stays undetected."

Lilly let out a groan, having been forced to do what she considered easy work. "Really? That's not any fun! Besides, don't all planets have radars to spot ships?"

Syaoron's lip twitched slightly again, and Tyler couldn't tell if it was from amusement or annoyance. "The _Gale Flower _has a special feature of active-camo, enabling the ship to go through space pretty much undetected. I doubt even that Covenant Supercarrier could find us with the camo active."

"_Wait, really? Who put that addition on? I thought we only put on MAC guns and plasma turrets," _Reginald mused over the COM. Syaoron rolled his eyes and keyed the COM. _"Just fly the damn thing and don't tell Tyler anything about the incident in New Bodhum."_

Tyler could hear the British man laugh over the COM before closing the channel, leaving Syaoron to shake his head. "I fucking swear, he really hasn't changed since the last time I talked to him."

Tyler grunted and polished his Shotgun (**A/N: Bow chicka wow wow!**), holding the weapon delicately in his hands. "So, we're on guard duty then? Sounds fun. We'll make sure that no Innie or Covenant gets in this tub. Now get some damn sleep already."

Syaoron grunted as he left the room, the door hissing closed behind him. "Whatever." When he was gone, Tyler let out a sigh and shook his head. "He's changed too much. He's too cold."

Lilly let her head fall onto his shoulder. "Did you expect anything different? I mean, Faye did die in front of him, so it's only natural." Tyler snorted and pushed a loose strand of hair from his eyes. _'I really need a fucking haircut. And a shave too.' _"Yeah, but it wasn't his fault. He should stop blaming himself for the past and look ahead. He's just as stubborn as Faye was."

Lilly scoffed as she rubbed Tyler's sore shoulders, all of them worn out from their last desperate stand on Reach. "I doubt anyone could be as stubborn as her. And you, my love, really need to get rid of that scraggly old beard of yours. Who are you, Captain Blackbeard?"

Tyler laughed at the idea of being compared to that infamous old Earth pirate. "If I was, I'd definitely 'conquer' you then." Lilly laughed as she kissed him. "At ease, soldier. We still have to keep it down."

-0-

Syaoron walked back onto the bridge, slumping down the wall. _'I shouldn't have been so blunt with them. They did nothing wrong. I'm being the problem, not them.' _He stood up and turned to see Reginald was steering the ship through Slipspace. "Geez chap, this ship needs to get an AI. Do you have one yet?"

Syaoron shook his head as he joined him at the helm. "We designed it so you wouldn't need an AI to fly it, for the weapon responses are improved now. But, I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical myself when Faye told me that we were going to be developing a Cruiser without an AI."

Reginald sighed and opened the small fridge on the _Gale Flower's_ bridge; an addition that Faye insisted was a need. The British man picked up a bottle of tequila, along with two glasses. "Care for some?"

'_I might as well have something to blame problems on,' _Syaoron mused dryly. "Yeah, although you might want to get me a bigger glass." Reginald chuckled and complied, bringing out a bigger glass for the brunette. "Will this do?"

Syaoron took the glass and poured himself some tequila, drinking the shot quickly. "Not too bad. I'm definitely going back to the old days with this."

The British man stroked his mustache, amused. "Dear me, at this rate you're gonna end up the way you did on New Bodhum. Or are you trying to break that record for most consecutive drinks?"

Syaoron scoffed as he downed another shot. "I doubt I could. Remember that massive headache I had for days afterwards? That was not fucking fun, and I had to deal with you and Austin teasing me for weeks because of it."

Reginald chortled, still stroking his enormous mustache. "Hey, it wasn't my fault that you ended up in the same bed as Faye. Thank Austin for that one." Syaoron let out a groan as he downed his third shot, his vision slowly becoming hazy. _'Wow, my tolerance for this shit has dropped.' _"I already did by making sure to put Icy-Hot in his lotion bottle later that day."

The British man laughed as he remembered Austin yelling in shock and slight pain. "Didn't he think his bollocks were on fire?" Syaoron nodded, pouring himself yet _another _drink. "Yeah. That was only the beginning though, for he somehow got a tape of me and F in the hot spring."

The amber eyed Spartan tried to stand, only to nearly tip over as his vision swam. "Whoa…" _'I'm drunk already? Shit, I thought I could hold my liquor better than that.'_

He looked over to Reginald, only for the British man to shake his head. "Sorry mate, but you need to sleep, not matter what method."

Syaoron opened his mouth to reply when the ground rose up to meet him, and he was dimly aware of his body falling in a heap on the smooth deck of the bridge.

-0-

Tyler placed a Sniper Rifle on the rack of weapons, the last one, when he heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

The door hissed open to reveal the man Reginald with a passed out Syaoron in his hands, puffing a bit with his face slowly turning red. The British man looked up desperately. "Can you give me a hand with this one? He's much heavier than he looks."

Tyler picked the unconscious Spartan by the shoulder, wrinkling his nose at the smell coming off of him. "Jesus man, what the hell did you do to him?"

Reginald shook his head. "I only offered him some tequila; he took it upon himself to get wasted." Tyler rolled his eyes as he placed him down, making sure to grab a bucket and place it next to him. _'Either he's gonna vomit when he wakes up, or he's gonna have the world's biggest headache tomorrow and be very bitchy.' _Either way, it wasn't going to be very pretty.

Reginald let out a sigh as Syaoron continued to sleep, fully passed out. "Funny. It reminds me of New Bodhum a bit." Tyler perked up. "What actually happened there? Syaoron says he refuses to tell me that specific incident, and he didn't answer when I asked if he ended up in bed with anyone."

Reginald smirked and stroked his mustache, glancing down at the drunken Spartan before whispering, "Don't let him find out I mentioned this to you, but when we were at New Bodhum Syao and Faye got really wasted, and they ended up sleeping with each other for the first time."

Tyler chuckled, holding his hand over his mouth. _'Oh man! That's what I thought happened to begin with!' _"Heh, I'm a good guesser then. I figured that was the case, and for some reason he seems really embarrassed by it." Reginald smirked again. "That's because Austin and I happened to have a clip of those two together in the hot spring later. Faye was sober; Syao was the complete opposite and I had to carry his ass back to camp."

The door hissed open, and Lilly joined them, narrowing her eyes slightly at the British bounty hunter. "What are you doing here, exactly?" Reginald pointed to the motionless Syaoron, the smell of alcohol coming off of him strongly. He didn't speak, partly because he didn't really need to explain what the amber eyed Spartan had done.

Lilly shook her head, tossing Tyler a razor. "I think I already know. And dammit Tyler, shave your Goddamn face already. You are too scruffy, and we have an important job to do soon."

Tyler plucked the shaving tool out of the air, twirling it nimbly in his fingers. "All we have to do is make sure that this tub doesn't get spotted. Which I doubt will actually ever happen, since this thing has active-camo." _'I do wish I could go to Venezia to see the place for myself, but I think I might get pissed and start murdering every single person I see on that planet. Good call, Syao.'_

The _Gale Flower _lurched slightly, making Reginald frown. "Something's not right. Perhaps I should go see what that is…" He spun around and left, and Tyler was positive the British man could feel Lilly's eyes glaring daggers into his back. Tyler gave her a small glance of exasperation. "Do me a favor and try not to hurt him? We'll need him to track Shao'Lin down, you know."

Lilly shook her head. "I've never trusted mercenaries in my entire life, and I'm sure as hell not going to start now. As useful as he is, he's still a bounty hunter."

"I know, but we have to rely on Syao's judgment and trust him," Tyler pointed out. He looked at the walls of the ship, Syaoron's breathing steady, as the ship flew to its first destination: Venezia.

"You know, I think that Syao might be struggling to admit that it wasn't his fault…"

_**A/N: Whew, chapter 1 is finished. Next chapter, the Venezia Arc begins, and I'm thinking at least a few chapters per arc, so this will be a long story. I just hope it's better than the first fic overall. **_

_**Ja'ne!**_


	2. I'll Keep Your Secrets Safe

_**A/N: Time for me to begin chapter 2 of Redemption, now officially kicking off the Venezia Arc. This may or may not include some mature content, but I don't know for sure. I'll put a warning for you if I do. Well, here we go.**_

**Redemption**

_Summary: Faye is dead, and Reach has been destroyed. Syaoron, Tyler, and Lilly escape the planet via the _Gale Flower_, where Syaoron meets a man who is also being hunted down by Faye's killer: Reginald. With the help of the renowned bounty hunter, Syaoron sets out after the assassin in an attempt to get revenge for his lover…_

***I'll Keep Your Secrets Safe***

_UNSC Gale Flower_

_Date Unknown_

Syaoron blinked his amber eyes, and immediately he shielded them from the harsh light above. "Ohhhh, what the hell happened?" It hurt to blink, and his vision was still slightly blurry.

The stabbing pain in his head nearly made him double over, and he tried to massage the aches away. _'I have a hangover. Fucking great. What a lovely way to start off the day Syao.' _He stood up, wobbling slightly. Syaoron shook his head furiously in an attempt to regain his composure. It worked slightly, for his vision cleared, but his head still hurt like hell.

He looked around, and he was slightly surprised to that he was in the quarters, not in the bridge. _'When the hell did I get here? I thought I passed out on the bridge…ow my head.' _

"Reginald and I carried you," a voice yawned behind him. Syaoron blinked tiredly and saw Tyler, the Spartan stretching his tall frame. Syaoron raised an eyebrow, curious. "You did?"

Tyler nodded, sipping from a cup of coffee. "Yeah. Man, you were beyond wasted." Syaoron groaned as pain lanced through his temples again. "Don't remind me. I already feel like shit." He looked around. "Where the hell are we? We're not still in Slipspace are we?"

Tyler shook his head, pouring himself and the amber-eyed Spartan more coffee. "No, we left at about 3 hours ago. We're in orbit above Venezia." Syaoron drank some of the hot liquid, letting out a small sigh as some of his headache went away. "Good. I take it the camo is active and those rebellious bastards don't know we're even here."

Tyler nodded, taking a sip. "Reginald is busy getting ready for the drop, while Lilly is busy shooting poor targets dummies with those new explosive rounds." Syaoron scoffed as he drank the rest of his coffee. "And why am I not too surprised?"

He paused, thinking. "Wait a minute; did you say she was using the explosive rounds?" Tyler nodded, not too sure where this was heading. "Yeah…" Syaoron let out a groan as he tossed his cup away, landing neatly in the garbage. "Those are still in the development stages! Even Reg hasn't gotten the chance to test those, for ONI said they were too dangerous for field usage."

Tyler winced as he heard several small explosions go off from the shooting range, along with angry shouting and more rumbling. "Um, oops?" Syaoron let out a sigh, grabbing a fresh set of clothing. "I'm taking a rinse. Afterwards, I'm going to go down and make sure Lilly doesn't break half of the ship." _'I can't get too mad at her. I didn't even mention the fact that we had explosive rounds onboard; those were a project Austin and I developed years ago, but never went anywhere.'_

Syaoron looked at himself in the bathroom as he closed the door behind him, and he took in his appearance. "Holy shit, I really look like a damn mess." His usually bright amber eyes were dull; red with dark circles around them. The scar stretched across his left shoulder was still bright and angry looking, and he had some large bruises laced over his ribs.

He sucked his teeth and turned on the water, steam quickly filling the bathroom. "Whatever." Syaoron let out a small sigh as the hot water soothed the growing aches in his body, from his left shoulder to his head and chest. _'Now that's a whole lot better.' _

He ran a hand through his brown hair, his fingers snagging on the matted mess that it was. _'Damn, I really need to fix this up.' _Spying a small bottle of shampoo, he made sure to scrub every last bit of sweat, dirt, and dried blood from his scalp.

Syaoron turned off the water, quickly drying himself off and putting on a fresh set of clothing for the undercover scout to Venezia. _'I only hope my informant is still alive. If she isn't, then this is much more difficult.' _

The informant on Venezia was known as Wynter Sapphire. If anyone wanted information about anyone, she was the person to ask. Wynter was possibly the best spy that ONI had to offer, as she had been undercover for several years on Venezia.

Syaoron put a pair of gloves on his hands, realizing that his metal arm wouldn't be the most inconspicuous thing in the world, and that was a sure sign for a military person. _'If all possible, I want to avoid that attention and hopefully Wynter is still alive.'_

He clipped a Magnum to his waist, making sure that he had enough ammo in case things got a little ugly down there. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in a firefight on that hellhole's surface, surrounded by that many terrorists. _'No harm in being careful.' _He made sure to grab an Energy Sword hilt.

Syaoron cracked his neck before exiting, marching straight down to the shooting range, where Lilly was busy mutilating a target dummy. "Um, busy?"

The Spartan looked up, her face flushed red from embarrassment. "Um, you didn't see that, did you?" She tried to hide her murder weapon behind her back, making Syaoron rub his temples. "Lilly, be a bit more slick about it and give me the damn Railgun back. You know this stuff isn't really tested out properly, right?"

Lilly pouted as she handed him the new weapon, still currently under development. "But it looked fun to use! And those dummies were pissing me off." Syaoron rolled his eyes and took the Railgun in his hands, still slightly annoyed. "And what would have happened if this decided to not work and break? Did you think about that?"

Lilly looked down at the floor, shuffling her feet slowly. "No…" Syaoron scoffed as he left the room, muttering. "I thought not. Next time, either think about it or ask. It's not that hard." He cast one look back, and he saw that Lilly didn't really try to defend herself, looking incredibly crestfallen. _'Great. I was too fucking cold towards her, and now look. Unbelievable.'_

Syaoron let out a sigh before walking back over to her, putting an arm on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I was too cold, and the hangover and headache aren't helping. I'm sorry." He lowered his head, tossing her a Magnum. "Here. Use this for practice. I can replace that, but this is something we need to make sure works properly before field usage. I'm just worried about you dying from my own mistakes, like not letting you know that was off-limits."

Lilly nodded quietly, loading a fresh clip into the Magnum and aiming at the remains of one of the target dummies, placing a few rounds into the chest area. "Syao, when you go, do me and Tyler a favor." Syaoron looked back, curious. "What?"

"Be careful and don't get yourself killed by your own distress."

Syaoron nodded, leaving the Spartan to her practice. "I will. And to make sure Tyler keeps it in his pants while we're gone, hive him these in a bit." He tossed her a small bottle, and Lilly smirked. "Thanks. But seriously, don't get killed by your own recklessness."

Syaoron nodded slowly, walking out. "Will do."_ 'Hopefully. It's been a long time since I was last on Venezia, and I'm sure that it is still as dangerous as ever, with both human and Covenant species living together.'_

He walked to the bridge, where Reginald was waiting. The British man looked up, currently adding a silencer to his Magnum. "You have the gear we'll need?" Syaoron nodded, pocketing an SMG and Magnum. "Yeah. We'll have to fly the Interceptor down though, and leave it at the old spot again."

Reginald sighed as he tossed over a few clips of ammo. "I should have asked Wynter about Shao'Lin when I was here a few months ago. I was too busy trying to find you though. Dammit." Syaoron shook his head, putting his metal hand on the bounty hunter's shoulder. "Don't. I would have had to find you if you went after Shao'Lin, and you know how big of a pain in the ass that would have been."

Reginald chuckled, running a comb through his large mustache. "Well, I'll feel better when we talk with Wynter and have a few pints in the process." Syaoron's lip twitched at his old friend's comment. _'Still the same mate. You haven't changed at all.' _"Am I going to be the one carrying you back this time?"

The bounty hunter shook his head. "No. You see, unlike you, I can actually hold my liquor quite well." Syaoron rolled his eyes and walked down towards the landing bay, Reginald behind him. "Says the one who got wasted in the middle of a desert and tried to use heat-seeking to find me and Austin."

Reginald laughed at the memory of his own foolishness. "It sort of worked. Except for Faye saying I was a dumbass and stealing the rest of our alcohol." Syaoron paused, glancing backwards. "Wait; that was her who stole it? I blamed Austin as usual for that one."

The British man nodded, climbing into the co-pilot seat of the Interceptor. "Yeah. She didn't tell you that?" Syaoron shook his head, climbing into the pilot's seat. "No. Although Austin insisted it wasn't him." He keyed the COM, alerting Tyler and Lilly to their departure. _"This is the Interceptor 343I. We'll be going out now. We'll give updates every other hour, if possible."_

"_Understood. We'll make sure the _Gale Flower _remains undetected and no one boards her. Tyler out," _the reply crackled. Syaoron closed the COM and gunned the thrusters. "Let's go."

The small ship's engines warmed before rocketing out of the launch bay, spiraling towards the surface of Venezia.

-0-

Tyler watched as the Interceptor flew away, heading down to the planet's surface. _'There they go. While I'll admit it would have been fun to go with them, Syao probably wanted to go with people who are suited for these types of situations, like Reginald. Hell, if either Faye or Austin were still alive then they would have gone too. Although I have a feeling F would have done that on purpose, to give me and Lilly time alone.'_

He let out a sigh and looked back at himself in the mirror, razor in hand. _'But before I can do anything, I'm shaving my fucking face. I'm tired of looking this scruffy and it's pissing me off the more I think about it.'_

Tyler sprayed some shaving cream to his hands, covering his face completely. In several swift movements, all of the hair on his face was gone, and he managed to not cut his throat open in the process. Tyler stroked his shaven chin with a smug smile. _'Now that's more like it…but I can use a beer or two.'_

He walked out of the bathroom, marching straight up to the bridge, for Syaoron had told him about the fridge inside. _'He said there was some good stuff to drink if we ever felt like it. Well, I'm taking up his offer.' _

Tyler stepped onto the bridge, and he opened the fridge, searching for any good liquor. _'Hm, we have tequila, with Syao's off-limits sticker; some rum, ha, Lilly will love that; whiskey? Interesting…but I'm not drinking that. I don't even want to remember that hangover.'_

He picked up a small bottle labeled with some very familiar handwriting. _'It can't be…this is Faye's writing though.' _Tyler took a brief moment to read the note, and he tried to not face-palm. _'Warning: Will make you extremely drunk and horny. Only use if you really want to have sex or just want to be wasted for hours on end. Signed, Faye.'_

Tyler held the bottle up to the light, which failed to reveal the content's nature. _'Well, that sure as hell didn't work. I guess the only way to really find out is to taste it. Although I have a very bad feeling that I might regret this one…'_

Tyler unscrewed the cap, took a deep breath, and took a swig. _'Bottoms up.' _The alcohol, whatever it was, tasted extremely sweet, sweeter than nearly any rum. But one thing was for sure; Tyler was getting perhaps a little sexually excited. _'Aw fuck. It turns out that Blondie was right when she labeled this one.' _

His vision had yet to become blurry, and he could see a small scribble on the bottom of the note that he had missed earlier. _'P.S. This is what Syao had when he claimed me on New Bodhum ^_^. You have got to be kidding me…'_

Tyler's vision began to swim, and he stumbled around, nearly losing his balance. "Woah…" _'Okay, I'm not having this shit again. Though it does taste good…'_

The door to the bridge hissed and slid open, and Tyler's vision was still blurry as he heard Lilly's slightly exasperated voice. "Seriously? What the actual fuck? We're supposed to be guarding the ship, not get wasted on it."

Tyler held onto the railing for support, shaking his head quickly in an attempt to clear his sight. "I think I'm more than wasted. Here; read this." Lilly let out a sigh as she took the bottle, slowly reading the note. A hint of red crept up her cheeks as she read most of the note, save for the bit at the bottom. "Oh my…" She looked up at him with narrowed eyes, not exactly amused. "And you took it upon yourself to drink this? What the fuck?"

Tyler groaned as a pounding pain began to form in his head. "Great, this is really what I wanted to hear." Lilly put her hands on her hips. "You're the dumbass who dug this grave, buddy. And why the fuck do you have boner?" Confused, Tyler looked down and his eyes widened. _'….fuck.' _He had more than just a pitched tent in his pants, to say the least. _'At least she didn't see the thing Faye added on the end of that note.'_

Lilly's eyebrow was raised quite a bit as she observed his crotch. "Still, I have to admit, you are certainly a sizable one." Tyler blushed and tried to will his erection to go away. _'Oh fuck, just go down already. I'm not in the mood right now…' _"Um, thanks?"

Lilly laughed and tossed him a small container. "If you want help keeping it down, then take some of these. Syao asked me to give you these before he left, after he finished scolding me for using that Railgun they have."

Tyler's eyebrows rose as he swallowed a few pills, sighing in relief as his erection died down. "Wait, a Railgun? When the hell did that thing even come into existence?" Lilly shrugged her shoulders, eyeing the rum with a hungry eye. "I have no clue, but Syao was mad because he didn't want to see me get killed by using it, as it is still in the development stages. As well as those explosive rounds."

Tyler rolled his eyes and observed Venezia from orbit. There was very little air traffic, and that made the Spartan a bit uneasy. _'I don't like this. If any of those damn bastards find out we're Spartans, we're screwed. They'll be launching missiles at us in a heartbeat.'_

As if she read his thoughts, Lilly shook her head. "Don't worry. This tub has quite a few tricks to steel itself against an attack. I think it even has stolen shielding technology. This thing sure is prepared for anything." That sort of helped Tyler relax a little as the Interceptor vanished from his enhanced sight, heading towards the planet's surface.

"Still," he sighed. "Syao and Reginald need to be careful. I only hope Syao's metal arm doesn't give them away." Lilly shook her head. "Nah, I doubt it. He put on gloves to hide it. Anyways, let's go down and find something productive to do while guarding this bird."

-0-

_Planet Venezia_

_New Tyne City_

_Date Unknown_

Syaoron landed the Interceptor just behind the city airfield, activating the cloaking to prevent detection. He opened a private channel to the _Gale Flower_, still in orbit. _"We've landed in New Tyne City. We're on our way to a bar by the name of the Black Death. Over."_

"_We hear you loud and clear. And by the way Syao, your secret is kept safe. I won't mention it to Lilly," _Tyler replied. Syaoron was confused for a moment. _'What the hell does he mean by that?' _Then it hit him. He was talking about the incident on New Bodhum. Syaoron glared at a certain British bounty hunter. "REG!"

Reginald chuckled as he stroked his mustache. "Don't worry mate. I left out the details of that one." Syaoron rolled his eyes as he walked into the city center, hoping he didn't look suspicious. _'For fuck's sake…'_

They walked around the city, both of them very familiar with the area since they had been here several times before. Syaoron saw the bar and walked in, smiling slightly as he saw a certain blue-haired woman serving drinks. _'She's alive. Good. Now, I can get some good intel.' _

He walked up to the bar, and he slapped the wood. "Hello, Wynter. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Wynter looked up, a small smile on her face as she saw the two. "Ah, Syaoron and Reginald. It's has been a while since you stopped in." She paused as she saw that someone was missing. "Where's Faye?"

Syaoron lowered his head, unable to speak. Reginald answered for him, glancing over at his friend. "She's dead. Shao'Lin got her."

Wynter's green eyes were filled with sympathy as she caressed Syaoron's left hand. "I'm sorry to hear that…" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "And what the hell have you done to yourself this time?"

Syaoron sighed as he rolled his sleeve up. "Beam Rifle got me." Wynter rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly across the jaw. "Shit man, be more careful." Syaoron snorted and tapped the counter for a drink. "Tell that to the Elites. They might want to dine with you to discuss that matter. Now, hit me with a shot. I have something I want to ask."

Wynter poured the two a shot each before glancing left and right, making sure they weren't going to be overheard. "Let me guess; it's intel on Shao'Lin."

Syaoron nodded and downed a shot, placing the glass upside down. "Yeah. So, you have anything?" _'Please say yes…'_

Wynter nodded slowly, not so much as blinking. "Oh, I have quite a good amount of dirt on him. In fact, I think you'll find this information very helpful." She paused again, quickly glancing to make sure that none of the drunks would overhear them.

Wynter leaned forward, drawing Syaoron and Reginald closer. "Shao'Lin frequently comes by to Venezia to visit an Elite arms dealer by the name of Sul'Raitei. I don't know what he gets, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it is some sort of new Covenant weaponry."

Reginald let out a sigh, glancing over at Syaoron. "Great. So this bastard is getting new weaponry, even though he really doesn't need any of it. I'd say this is him preparing for an attack on a major area."

Wynter nodded, a small glimmer in her green eyes. "That's what I've heard from this ugly-ass slip lip about two weeks ago. He said that there have been several strange meetings between Shao'Lin and the Prophets, although he didn't say what they discuss. "

Syaoron sucked his teeth. "I already know what he's up to. He's been taking out the best Spartans for years now. He waits until they are almost broken before he kills them; he did the same thing to Faye. He made sure to torture her before killing her." Wynter let out another sigh, pushing a blue strand of hair from her face. "Poor girl. She didn't deserve to die like that. Neither did Andrew and Casey, or anyone who Shao'Lin has murdered."

Reginald casted a glance over his shoulder. "We have company. Three Elites, unarmed. We should split before they get suspicious." He turned back to Wynter, tossing a few paper bills onto the counter. "Thanks for the intel. We'll stop by again tomorrow."

He left, while Syaoron stayed behind. "I'm sorry sis. I couldn't do anything to help her. It's my fault she's dead." Wynter leaned up and gently kissed his cheek. "Big bro, set your sights on your future and honor Faye as any of us who knew her would."

Syaoron grunted bitterly, ruffling his younger sister's hair. "Sure. I'll see you later then sis. Call me if you find anything new." _'Great, now I have even my little sister telling me to stop blaming myself. But how can I when I know I could have done at least some extremely lucky shit and got her away?'_

He stopped outside the bar, where Reginald was waiting. "You ready to find a place? We should be good for a hotel here for at least a few days." Syaoron nodded, a dull pounding returning in his head. _'Why does my head hurt again? I'm not hung-over anymore, so I shouldn't have this headache!'_

Then he remembered what happened on Reach, just seconds before Faye died. _'Oh yeah, that's right. Shao'Lin kicked me in the skull, and I probably have a concussion. Well, I'm glad I'm no athlete.' _"I don't know about you, but I could really use some painkillers right about now. A concussion isn't the best thing in the world to have."

Reginald chuckled in amusement, glancing back. "Good. You are going to sleep first while I take watch then. I refuse to carry you anymore."

Syaoron scoffed and felt his waistband, comforted when he felt his sidearm still strapped to his side. _'I might be at fault for your death, but I am getting revenge on him. I only can only hope that our secrets are going to be kept safe from those who hunt us.'_

_**A/N: *pants* Man, this was another long one. But, I'm enjoying this fic, and I really do want to get some good feedback from it. Leave any comments, questions, or suggestions that you may have. See you!**_

_**Ja'ne**_


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